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Kotokai (People)
The people of southern Zimildran, the nation of Kotokai is in a delicate balance between tradition and progression. Jinshu-Kong, the imperial capital of the coastal jungle region, and Emperor Utada Kanta himself, seek to become more like their northern neighbors in Harsonia. Any opportunity the Emperor has to introduce northern economical values, engineering, and progressionism into his empire, he does so. The surrounding country, especially the Shen temples, however, cling to the more spiritual traditions of the Kotokai and their ancestors. The nation was once on the brink of total civil war, a conflict that only the direct intervention of Emperor Utada himself had dissolved. Kotokai is composed mainly of thick jungles, low mountains covered in dense foliage, and beautiful, tropical coastlines. The Trade Road runs north, and then northwest, out of the capital city of Jinshu-Kong, the jade jewel of the southern coast. The imperial city sits on the center of the Great Coast Road, which runs along and above the beaches of Kotokai, east to the city of Ming-Pe, and west towards the Ukindan city of Zarofet, with many fishing villages along the way. Just off the Trade Road north of Jinshu-Kong lies the three main Shen Temples; The Baohu Temple, the Pingheng Temple, and the Dui-Tian Temple. The ruined Gonglu Temple lies, abandoned and haunted, as the rumors go, straight west from its three sister temples, at the end of a long lost trail. Finally, south into the Cerulean Sea is the multitudinous islands of Shadownet Cove, where, without proper charts or some of the world’s best sailors, ships will go missing and never return. People from Kotokai often enter into the same professions and line of work as their parents. Roughly half of the nation’s work force is dependent upon the coast and the sea, making Kotokai some of the most skilled fishermen, shipwrights, navigators, and deckhands. With the more recent integration of Harsonian disciplines, many Kotokai have taken up the mantle of steamwork engineer, or of licensed Merchant Guild vendor. Many men and women who seek to prove their loyalty to the Urtada Dynasty and to the Kotokai Empire, or those who seek the easiest route to give their family a life without want, join the Imperial military. Outside of the capital city, however, people take a more traditional mindset, embracing the teachings of their ancestors and revering the land’s connection to the spiritual world. Ming-Pe is the largest concentration of Shen altars and shrines in one settlement, and many aspiring youngsters learn the basics of the Shen Spirits from the masters and teachers there before moving on to live at one of the three temples. Family honor is of vast importance to the Kotokai lifestyle, especially to those who live their lives in closer adherence to the traditions of their predecessors. Those few who do not follow in the footsteps of their fathers and mothers, likely becoming craftsmen, farmers, fishers, traders, and soldiers will likely find their own way in the world. However, the more traditional Kotokai view choosing a profession other than that of one’s parents as a sign that one does not honor the work their parents have done with their lives. How much stock your character puts into this thought, however, will vary.